* Caden Leonard is one of the top underclassmen this 2023 season
Photo Credit: Rodrick Pernetter/MileSplit
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The country's top underclassmen and middle school athletes have continued to make leaps this cross country season.
This season has been loaded with top matchups and a handful of the top youngsters have been able to put out eye-catching performances.
Who are some of the underclassmen who rose to the occasion over the weekend?
Check out the top six future stars below.
Photo Credit: Nancy Scott / MileSplit
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Annabella Tomasic
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Lake Highland Prep (FL)
Class of 2029
One athlete who caught our attention early this season was Tomasic, the seventh-grader from Orlando, Florida.
The Lake Highland Prep athlete won her fourth consecutive 5K title and was able to take down high schoolers at the FSU Pre-State Invitational. She clocked her fourth sub-18 minute 5K while she set a new personal best of 17:35.50 to take the victory.
Her performance is the fastest 5K by any seventh-grader this season by nearly a minute. On the all-time list, this puts her behind Lauren and Grace Ping, who clocked 17:07 and 17:17 at this age, respectively.
* Isabella Keller reflects on her first 5K performance in her career at the Nike XC Town Twilight
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Isabella Keller
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Effingham St. Anthony (IL)
Class of 2027
At the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, it was Zariel Macchia and Nicki Southerland who grabbed the top two spots.
However, right there in the mix was Keller, who's a freshman from Effingham, Illinois.
In her first 5K race of her career, she finished five seconds behind Macchia, the Champs Sports Cross Country Championship All-American with a 17:06.60.
So far this season, Keller is undefeated at the three mile distance. She clocked a personal best of 16:53 two weekends ago at the Tuscola Classic.
Photo Credit: Brandon Miles / MileSplit
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Marcelo Mantecon
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Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (FL)
Class of 2027
Competing at the FSU Pre-State Invitational gives athletes and coaches an opportunity to see a glimpse of what the FHSAA state meet could look like and what the future of Florida distance running could become.
The top three finishers were all seniors.
The fourth-place finisher, and the Belen Jesuit Prep's second runner, was Mantecon.
While racing against a loaded field, Mantecon was 20 seconds behind the two-time FHSAA state champion as he came across the finish line in 15:10 for 5K.
Against a stacked field, Mantecon was able to hold his own.
Photo Credit: Bobby Reyes / MileSplit
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Rocco Culpepper
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Niwot (CO)
Class of 2026
While entering his sophomore season, we knew Culpepper had an opportunity to continue to build upon his success from 2022.
After leading Niwot to a second-place team finish at the Colorado 4A Cross Country State Championships, Culpepper has picked up where he left off.
Over the weekend, he broke 16 minutes for 5K for the fourth time of his career. After finishing seventh at the Desert Twilight XC Festival as a freshman with a 15:30, he came back around this year and was second to a senior with a 15:11 personal best.
His performance equaled a 183 speed rating and moved him up to No. 9 on the U.S. leaderboard for the sophomore class.
Photo Credit: Roderick Pernetter / MileSplit
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Caden Leonard
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Southlake Carroll (TX)
Class of 2026
Even though Leonard is one of the youngest athletes on the cross country course this season, he's one of the best distance runners in the Lone Star state.
At the Nike South Invitational, Leonard established himself as one of the top athletes in the UIL 6A classification.
Leonard put together a new personal 5K best of 15:06 to grab the victory on The Woodlands' course by 16 seconds. His performance is the sixth-fastest time in the country and it equaled a 188 speed rating.
Individually, he earned the title and led Southlake Carroll to a team victory.
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Macy Wingard
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Denton Braswell (TX)
Class of 2026
Wingard made the trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, this weekend and came away with a standout performance.
While finishing as the top underclassman in the field, she finished the Chile Pepper Festival meet as the runner-up out of 648 competitors with a 17:08 5K performance.
She was able to finish right behind a senior who clocked 17:03.
Earlier this season, Wingard set a best of 17:02, which is the third-fastest sophomore performance in 2023.